Regional Victoria holds so much beauty to see, but would you consider that one of the best ways to take it in is on two wheels? The final section of the Great Southern Rail Trail has just opened, with the whole attraction offering riders a memorable journey across the south of our state.
Stretching 131 kilometres across South Gippsland, the trail was a former railway line that closed in the 1990s after 100 years in operation.
It begins in Nyora, a small town close to Phillip Island, and journeys east to Yarram, past Wilsons Promontory National Park. The latest and last addition was a 21-kilometre segment from Welshpool to Alberton, two tiny coastal towns in the state's southeastern corner.
The Great Southern Rail Trail has been a project almost ten years in the making, with the first part of the track opened in 2015 and more segments added in the following years. It's one of the longest rail trails in Australia and has become a major tourist attraction, with more than 40,000 people visiting annually.
The trail offers a taste of the wide diversity of Victoria's landscapes across the tranquil countryside, from scenic farmland to the bush, and from wetlands to the coastline. There are beautiful views to admire along the ride, and 15 quaint country towns to stop in along the way.
The start of the trail is just a 90-minute drive from Melbourne, and it's not just open to avid cyclists – people also hike and ride horses along the trail, too. To find out more about the Great Southern Rail Trail, check out the website.
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